Belichick's UNC Debut Headlines College Football's Week 0 Slate
College football's 2026 season opens this weekend with a Week 0 slate that spans three continents' worth of storylines, from a Dublin showdown to a Saturday night finish in Las Vegas. Five games stand out on a five-game Saturday card that includes ranked competition, coaching intrigue and betting lines ranging from near-even to blowout territory, according to odds from FanDuel Sportsbook as of Aug. 28.
The day begins at noon ET when North Carolina faces TCU at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland, with the Horned Frogs favored by 8.5 points. The matchup marks Bill Belichick's early test as he attempts to turn around a UNC program that finished 4-8 overall and 2-6 in conference play in 2025. Both teams start new quarterbacks, a factor that could shape the game's rhythm more than the point spread suggests. Later Saturday, No. 14 USC hosts San Jose State as a 38.5-point favorite, with an over/under set at 61.5 - the highest total on the day's slate - as the Trojans look to open the season with a decisive win. USC beat San Jose State 56-0 in their most recent meeting, in 2023. surfing bets
Elsewhere, NC State visits Virginia at 3:30 p.m. ET, with the Cavaliers favored by 4.5 points despite missing a preseason ranking in both the AP and Coaches polls; they did receive votes in each. Virginia enters the season with a new starting quarterback after last year's starter signed as an undrafted free agent with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In the evening window, Hawaii travels to Stanford for a 7 p.m. ET kickoff on ACC Network, a rematch of a 2025 contest the Rainbow Warriors won 23-20 after trailing for much of the game. Stanford is favored by 4.5 points at home this time and returns more starters than Hawaii.
The day closes with a 10 p.m. ET nightcap on FOX between Memphis and UNLV in Nevada. UNLV, coming off a 10-2 regular season, is favored by 4.5 points over a Memphis team that finished 8-4 in 2025, a campaign that included a six-game winning streak to open the year. The five games collectively offer an early measuring stick for programs with postseason ambitions, with several teams - including USC, Virginia and UNLV - carrying momentum or rebuilding storylines into the year's first full weekend of competition.
